Hadi Al-Bahra, President of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), emphasized that the Houla Massacre was one of the most heinous massacres against Syrian civilians since the start of the Syrian Revolution in 2011. He made these remarks on the twelfth anniversary of the Houla Massacre, committed by Assad’s forces with the support of sectarian militias in the Houla region of Homs province in 2012.
The massacre claimed the lives of more than 100 civilians, including children and women. Al-Bahra pointed out that the victims’ only “crime” was their participation in peaceful demonstrations demanding the restoration of their human and constitutional rights.
Al-Bahra stressed that the victims and their families, who are still waiting for justice, prompt us to use all means and energies to achieve accountability for the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He emphasized the international community’s legal and moral responsibilities to do justice for the victims, achieve justice, and find effective mechanisms to hold the perpetrators accountable and prevent them from escaping justice.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented the details of the Houla massacre, which began with indiscriminate bombing of the villages and plains of the al-Houla region, continuing for 14 hours. The Network reported that following the bombing, regime forces and local sectarian militias, known as Shabbiha, stormed dozens of homes, conducting summary executions against everyone they found living on the outskirts of the region.
The Network indicated that children’s hands were handcuffed, and women and men were gathered, then slaughtered with rifle bayonets and knives before being shot. The Network documented 107 victims by their full names and photos, noting that among the victims were 49 children under the age of ten and 32 women, with additional bodies that the Network was unable to reach and document.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
